Ash receptacle



I Oct. 27, 1942. Y J v ss 2,300,026

ASH RECEPTACLE Filed July 1 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I, j j I JOHN I/IssER Oct. 27, 1942. I J. VISSER 2,300,026

ASH RECEPTACLE Filed July 1, 1939 2 Sneets-Sheet 2 JoH/v V/ssER Patented Oct. 27, 1942 ASH RECEPTACLE John Visser, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of the United States Application July 1, 1939, Serial No. 282,431-

3 Claims.

This invention relates to ash receptacles, and more particularly to ash receptacles for use in vehicles and adapted to be mounted in an upright panel or other member in the vehicle.

An. object of this invention is to provide an ash receptacle Whose housing can be made with a slight taper orv draft so that it may be produced by die-casting and be made integral with a diecast panel, door or similar member.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved simplified ash receptacle insertable bodily and endwise in a suitable support and readily removable from the support for cleaning, as Well as for emptying the contents of the receptacle.

A further object of this invention is to provide an ash receptacle of the drawer type which slides in its support on a single narrow guide and operates with the minimum of friction.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided an ash receptacle for a vehicle or the like comprising a drawerlike container insertable endvvise into a suitable pocket, the pocket, if desired, being formed integrally with a die-cast panel or other member, and the ash receptacle and pocket being provided with a cooperating rib and groove for guiding the receptacle into the pocket.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one of the preferred embodiments thereof, and in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section through the ash receptacle of this invention, showing the ash receptacle in closed position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the ash receptacle in open position;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the ash receptacle proper as it appears when withdrawn from its retainer;

Figure 4 is a face view of the ash receptacle in its retainer;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the retainer Without the ash receptacle;

Figure 6 is a cross section on the line VI-VI of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a cross section on the line VIL-VII of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 8 is a fragment of a cross section similar to Figure 6, illustrating a modification of a portion of the. device.

As shown on the drawings:

The. particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings is mounted in a retainer I0 which is formed integrally with a die-cast panel member I I. The panel member II may be a portion of the instrument panel, the door of a storage compartment, an escutcheon plate or the like, depending upon where it is desired to mount the ash receiver. The retainer I0 is substantially cylindrical in shape, being. made with a small amount of draft or taper to facilitate its production by the die-casting process. It extends back from an opening in the panel member II and is provided with a rear wall I3 so as to form a socket or pocket in the panel II for receiving the ash receptacle I4.

The bottom of the retainer I0 is formed with a longitudinally extending rib I5 on the inside, and the ash receptacle I4 is formed with a longitudinally extending groove I6 adapted to receive the rib! I5, the rib I5 and groove I6 being slidable with respect to each other and forming guide means for the receptacle I4 in its movement into and out of the retainer I0.

As may be seen from Figures 6 and 7, the ash receptacle I4 has approximately the same shape as the retainer I0 in which it fits, but is somewhat smaller so that a small clearance is left all around the ash receptacle I4 except where the groove I6 in the bottom of the ash receptacle fits down upon the rib I5 of the retainer. In order to keep the ash receptacle I4 from rocking to either side upon the rib I5, a pair of spring pressed rollers I? are provided to bear down upon the upper edges I8 of each side of the ash receptacle. The lateral. spacing of the rollers I1 prevents the receptacle I4 from rocking and coming into contact with the sides of the retainer, so that the only frictional contact between the receptacle I4 and the retainer ID as the receptacle is moved in and out is along the rib I5 and groove IS. The entire pressure from the rollers I1 is transmitted to the relatively narrow engaging surfaces of the rib I5 and groove I6, so that the pressure between these two surfaces is great enough per square inch to cause them to become polished by their slid ing upon each other and to operate with very little friction.

The rollers I! are carried upon the inwardly bent endsof a" Ushaped wire spring I9 secured to. the top of the retainer ID by a clip 2| riveted or screw-fastened to the retainer. The top of the retainer I 0 is. flatso that it does not rise entirely:abovetherollers I! and is provided. with rectangular apertures 22 into which the rollers IT project. The apertures 22 permit the rollers I! to spring up when necessary, and the ends of the apertures 22 form shoulders facing the ends of the rollers I! to keep them from sliding axially upon the end of the spring I9 upon which they are rotatable. The apertures 22 are provided with narrow extensions 23 through which the ends of the spring I9 extend to the rollers.

In order to prevent the ash receptacle I4 from accidentally being -withdrawn too far from the retainer IS, the two upper edges it of the receptacle upon which the spring-pressed rollers I! ride are formed with bosses or humps 26 which come up against the backs of the rollers I'I when the receptacle I is pulled out to its normal open position shown in Figure 2. The rollers H and the bosses 24 are placed so that, when the receptacle I4 is in its open position, the rollers I'I will be approximately in line with 'the centersof the portions of the rib I5 and groove I5 which are still in engagement, in order to provide the maximum amount of stability in both directions for the ash receptacle when it is open.

When it is desired to remove the ash receptacle M to empty it, all that is necessary is to pull it hard enough to cause the bosses 24 to pass under the rollers I1, whereupon the receptacle may be easily withdrawn completely from the retainer II] and inverted to discharge its contents.

The ash receptacle Hi is formed of four pieces of sheet metal 25, 26, 21 and 28, a handle 29, and a fastening element 3i, such as a screw, for the handle. The piece of metal forming the body 25 of the ash receptacle extends from one of the upper side edges I8 of the receptacle down and around across the bottom and up the other side to the other side edge It, the center of the bottom being formed into the groove I6 which rides on the rib I5 in the retainer. The two edges I8 of the body 28 are fiat except for the humps 24 and form the tracks uponwhich the rollers I'I ride. The rear edge of the body 25 is bent in to form a flange 32 against which the back plate 25 fits and to which it is spot-welded, and the front edge of the body 25 is bent out to form a flange 33 upon which the front 2? of the ash receptacle is secured.

The outer part of the ash receptacle front 2! ts flat against the front flange 53 of the ash receptacle body 25 and its edge 34 is bent around the edge of the flange 33 in order to secure the ash receptacle front 21 to the body 25. At the top, the edge of the ash receptacle front 27 is bent back to form a narrow flange whose edge bears against the face of the panel member II above the retainer I0 when the ash receptacle is in its closed position, and the flange 3% at the bottom of the ash receptacle front bears against the face of the panel member II below the retainer I0, as shown in Figure 1.

The central portion of the ash receptacle front 21 is dished in and carries the handle 29 at its center, the handle being fastened by a screw or other fastening element 3| extending into it from behind. The dishing-in of the ash receptacle front 2? is great enough so that the handle or knob 29 does not project any appreciable amount beyond the plane of the outer portion of the front. Thus, when the ash receptacle is in closed position, there is nothing projecting an appreciable distance beyond the face of the panel member I I and no additional hazard i presented to an occupant of the motor vehicle who may be thrown up against the panel member I I by a sudden stop of the vehicle.

Besides securing the handle 29, the fastening element 3! extends through a lug 35 extending down from the baffle 28 and lying flat against the back of the central portion of the ash receptacle front 2'1. This fixes the bafiie 28 which extends diagonally down from above the center of the ash receptacle front towards the lower rear corner, the baffle 28, however, terminating short of the bottom and end of the receptacle. The front portion of the baffle 28 is shaped to provide a pair of horizontal extensions 36 which fit around at each side of the rearwardly projecting central dished portion of the front 21.

It will be noted from Figure 2 that the baffle 28 projects just past the plane of the panel member II when the ash receptacle is in its open position. Thus, any ashes which are deposited in the receptacle slide back on the sloping baffle 28 to the back of the receptacle where they will be well out of the way of any currents of air or drafts sweeping across the front of the panel member I I and perhaps into the receptacle itself. It will also be noted that the lower edge of the baffle 28 is spaced far enough above the bottom of the receptacle It to allow cigarette butts and the like to work their way forward to the front of the receptacle, instead of piling up at the back, thus permitting the full capacity of the receptacle to be utilized.

The ash receptacle may be provided with a snuffer of any conventional form. In the form shown in the drawings, the snufier 31 is formed on the end of a tongue 38 which extends forward from and is integral with the upper edge of the back plate 26. The end of the tongue forming the snufler 3'5 is formed into a shallow depression, and four segmental holes 39 are punched in this depression so as to form, in effect, a round hole having a pair of cross bars M extending across it. In using the snuffer, the lighted end of the cigarette to be extinguished is pressed down into the concave and apertured portion of the snuifer, and the burning particles of tobacco are forced through the holes 39 and knocked off the end of the cigarette by the cross bars 4|.

A modified form of roller and roller spring is shown in Figure 8. In this form, the roller 43 is provided with a flange 44 which projects down beside the upper edge I8 of the receptacle upon which the roller 53 rides. The roller 43 is mounted on a spring 45 generally similar to the one shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, but entering the roller from the inner end instead of the outer. Sliding of the roller 43 towards the center of the retainer is prevented by the adjacent portion of th spring 45, and sliding in the other direction is prevented by a shoulder 56 formed by the side of the aperture in the retainer in which the roller is located. This construction positively prevents tipping of the ash receptacle I4 upon its guide at the bottom of the retainer Ii] and eliminates the possibility of the ash receptacle rubbing on the side of the retainer.

From the above description, it will be seen that I have provided an extremely simple ash receptacle which is easy and smooth in its operation and which is extremely inexpensive to manufacture. It will also be seen that I have provided an ash receptacle which is easily removed for the emptying of its contents and which is so constructed that the contents cannot be blown out by a draft or strong current of air.

It will also be seen that I have provided an ash receptacle which presents no hazards to the occupants of a motor vehicle in case of an accident and which has an attractive appearance.

It will, of course, be understood that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than is necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a container assembly including a supporting structure having an opening and a container movable into and out of said opening, said supporting structure including a portion adapted to cover said container when said container is moved into said opening, rollers located in apertures in said cover portion and engaging the top edge of said container, and bearings mounted on said supporting structure extending through said rollers for securing said rollers to said supporting structure, the sides of said apertures forming shoulders at the ends of said rollers for preventing endwise movement thereof on said bearings.

2. In a container assembly including a supporting structure having an opening and a container movable into and out of said opening, said supporting structure including a portion forming a cover for said container when said container is moved into said opening, a pair of rollers located in openings in said cover portion and bearing on the top edge of said container, and a wire spring having its central portion fixed to said supporting structure and the ends thereof extending through said rollers and forming bearings therefor, the sides of said openings providing shoulders for preventing sliding of said rollers on said wire spring.

3. An ash receptacle having a rearwardly dished sheet metal front, a handle located in the dished portion of said front, a baffle in said receptacle having portions extending forward around at the sides of said dished front, said bafile having a lug located between said forwardly extending portion. and lying fiat against the back of said dished front, and a fastening element extending through said lug and said dished front and into said handle for simultaneously securing said bafile and said handle.

JOHN VISSER 

